How to Prevent the Cat or Dog from Knocking Over the Christmas Tree

There are many holiday hazards that face cats, dogs and other pets each November and December. For pet owners who celebrate Christmas, one of the most common holiday hazards for pets is the Christmas tree. It seems that every cat owner has heard a friend, family member or co-worker tell the story of how the cat tried to climb the Christmas tree, knocking over the entire tree in the process. Many dog owners have also experienced this holiday disaster, when the dog knocked into the Christmas tree while running around the house or playing. Well fortunately, securing a Christmas tree and preventing the household cats and dogs from knocking it over is actually quite simple!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A moderate gauge wire
• Wire Snips
• Small Cup Hooks -OR- Medium Screw Hooks
• Drill
• Stud Finder
• Drywall Anchors
• A Christmas Tree and a Pet Who May Knock it Over!

1. Begin by setting up the Christmas tree as you normally would, securing the tree in a Christmas tree holder or simply dust off the fake Christmas tree and set it up. The process of securing and pet-proofing the Christmas tree will be made much easier if the Christmas tree is in a corner, with walls situated nearby.

2. Using a stud-finder, locate the studs on the nearby walls. A minimum of two wires (situated on the right and left or front and back of the tree) will be necessary to secure and pet-proof the Christmas tree. For more security, locate studs at approximately 10 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 6 o'clock (if you were looking down on the tree from above).

3. Use a stud finder to locate the wall studs. These will provide extra strength to the hooks.

4. Use a drill to drill holes in the studs (preferred). The holes should be situated at a height that's about two feet shorter than the height of the Christmas tree. Be sure the drill holes are of the proper size to accommodate the hooks. For extra security when installing the hooks into drywall, use drywall anchors. When installing the hooks into drywall, opt for four hooks instead of just two.

5. Install four small cup hooks (also known as mug hooks) or screw hooks, which will screw directly into the wall stud.

6. Using wire snips, cut a piece of wire (one for each hook) about 18 inches longer than necessary - the extra can be trimmed, if necessary.

7. On one end of the wire, make a small loop by bending the wire about three inches from one of the ends. Twist a loop into the wire and wrap the remaining two inches of wire to secure the loop in place.

8. Hook the loop onto the eye hook and run the other end of the wire over to the Christmas tree. Hold the wire taught and wrap the wire around the center of the tree two times (about two feet down from the top of the tree). Then, wrap the excess wire around the taught section of wire that runs from the hook to the tree.

9. Repeat the process for each of the other hooks. A minimum of two taught guide wires will be required to keep the Christmas tree from tipping over. Four Christmas tree guide wires are ideal.

Tips & Warnings

• This process is easier before the Christmas ornaments and Christmas lights are in place on the tree.
• If installing the hooks into drywall, use for four hooks to secure the tree.
• If installing the hooks directly into wall studs, you can get away with using just two hooks instead of four.
• At the end of the holiday season, remove the hooks from the wall and use a putty or spackle to patch the small holes that will be left behind from the hooks in the wall.
• Be sure to install the hooks into wall studs (preferred) -OR- use drywall anchors.
• Avoid glass ornaments on the Christmas tree, particularly on the low branches where a dog or cat can easily reach the ornaments to knock them off or play with the ornaments. These wires will prevent the tree from falling over; they will not prevent the cat from climbing the Christmas tree, nor will they prevent the ornaments from getting knocked off the tree.

Resources

• Holiday Hazards for Cats and Dogs
• Thanksgiving Hazards for Pets
• Toxic Plants for Pets
• Toxic Foods for Dogs
• Pancreatitis in Dogs and Cats During the Holidays
• Gift Ideas for Cat Owners
• Gift Ideas for Dog Owners

[TheGlamSquad]

on 11/19/2008 Thanks for the advice. I had this problem a couple of years ago and left a little puppy that we thought that we had trained well enough to leave at home. Well little did we know. I returned home to find the tree on the floor, broken ornaments and mud tracked all over the house from him trying to make mud pies out of my plants. lol